Writing a Query Letter

You've written the perfect book - and now you want to find a publisher to promote it. Here are tips on writing a query letter.

A query letter is what sells your idea to the editor. It needs to get the editor to that next step - contacting you for the full book text. It needs to

- be compelling reading
- excite the editor into wanting to know more, arouse interest
- entice them to make the effort to contact you

Remember, the editor doesn't HAVE you read your whole letter. They can read the beginning and chuck it immediately. You need to convince them, every step of the way, that it's worth their time to continue.

The lead must be relevant. Start immediately with the topic at hand, not your own background. Grab them with the first paragraph and then give them a crystal clear story description.

You must include:

* Theme and slant of your book
* Source of any stats or info you list in the query letter
* Your credentials to write this content
* Photos / artwork / etc. you can provide

Your query letter should be:
* a single page only
* single spaced with eye-appealing paragraphs
* ordinary white bond paper, black ink

Let me note here that you VERY RARELY send a blind query letter to a publisher that is written "however you want". In almost every single case a publisher will have very specifically stated requirements for any contacts made to them.

Some publishers absolutely refuse any author contact and will only talk with agents. If you write them, you destroy any chance of them having respect for you if you do ever track down an agent.

Some publishers do accept author contact and want that email to go to a specific in-box, in a specific format. If you write a random query letter without following their format, they'll just delete your message. They already get deluged with thousands of messages every day. Part of their criteria for taking on an author is that they know the author will follow instructions properly. If you start out by not following their basic contact instructions, that's a clear indication to them that you are not a good writer to work with.

I have only seen maybe one or two publishers total - out of the tens of thousands that exist - that say "write me however you want". So in those cases you would do the very best query letter you could following the above instructions. However, in the vast majority of cases you need to follow their instructions to the exact letter. You are proving to them that you can read, that you can understand, and that you can do what they want you to do. That is what they seek, someone who fits perfectly into their organization.

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